Podcast Production
Subscribe/Share
Categories
Client NewsEndGame PR News
EndGame PR Site News
Media News
Media Relations News
Media Relations Opinion
Media Relations Tactics
Podcasts
PR Opinion
PR Tactics
Rants
Recommended Sites
SEO PR News
SEO PR Tactics
SEO Tactics
Social Media News
Social Media Opinion
Social Media Tactics
Speaking Engagements
Uncategorized
Web Design
Web Marketing
Web Videos
Social Media PR Blog
10 Dead or Dying PR Tactics
This summer I’ll mark the 10th year since I abandoned journalism to become a public relations professional. I was recently thinking about the changes that have taken place since I made that switch, and that led me to think about all of the tactics and tools that we used to use regularly that are now dead or nearly dead. Being a blogger, I had to make a top 10 list! They’re ranked from “alive but perhaps outdated”, to “dinosaur”, to “dead as a doornail”. I’m sure I’m missing a few, so feel free to add your own in comments.
So, at the risk of sounding incredibly old, I present:
10 Dead or Dying PR Tactics:
10) Newspaper-based Media Relations Strategy
Newspapers are dying. Circulation is down. You can’t wrap your media relations strategy solely around trying to get print coverage anymore.
Status: Alive, but poor strategy
9) Deskside Reporter Meetings
These are the sit-down meetings where you get to know reporters and/or pitch them in person. My friend and former boss Jon Newman recently wrote about desksides, saying they’re dying. I agree. In a “former life” I flew from Richmond, VA to New York City on a semi-frequent basis for these meetings. Now, reporters (particularly the print ones) are ridiculously overtaxed and even more jaded than I remember. You will occasionally find journalists who appreciate the face-to-face time, but there aren’t many left.
Status: Hard to find
8) Media packets
I would put this tactic in the “nearly dead” category. You still see plenty of them. Just one man’s opinion, but I don’t consider glossy packets a good use of money for most organizations. I’d sooner build a micro-website or even a Facebook page.
Status: Alive, but IMHO a waste of money
7) Video news releases (VNRs)
These are still around, but they’re not nearly as popular as they were 10 years ago. The Bush Administration essentially killed this tactic.
Status: Alive, but hard to get results
6) Audio news releases (ANRs)
This tactic, which I actually promoted as a service when EndGame PR was first founded, was always the less popular younger sister of VNRs. While I’m not aware of the Bush Administration getting in trouble for ANRs, they basically died at the same time as VNRs. They’ve been replaced somewhat by podcasts or web audio soundbites used in social media news releases, but you can still find stations that are willing to accept them.
Status: See #7
5) Media Map
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this tool, it was a server-based media directory. It was horrendously expensive compared to today’s web-based directories. I recall the president of the firm where I worked being elated when I discovered we could save about $40,000 every year by switching to the web-based Bacon’s Mediasource. Oh yeah … I got some major brownie points that week!
Status: Replaced
4) Blast faxing
Remember when we used to pay services to send our releases out to hundreds or even thousands of news outlets? Who faxes anymore? I have a fax machine. I rarely use it.
Status: Replaced
3) Mailed Newsletters
These used to be very popular, but have been replaced by email newsletters that should be backed up by a blog. You’ll likely see a trend in this list. I consider anything that involves using snail mail to be outdated.
Status: Replaced
2) Bacon’s Media Guides
I’m not talking about the online media directories. I’m talking about the paper media guides … the books. I believe they’re still available in some format but, really, if I have to explain why the web-based versions are better then you need to take a course on the “Internets”.
Status: Dinosaur
1) Mailed Reporter Pitches
It’s hard to believe, but if you hunt through the “pitching preferences” in the media guides (the web-based ones of course) you’ll still find some reporters who say they prefer mailed pitches. This is another way of saying, “Don’t pitch me”. However, there was a time before email was widespread when it was a legitimate way to pitch.
Status: Doornail, as in “dead as a”
Honorable Mention: Peter Shankman claims the news release itself is dead, or will be soon, with the exception of financial releases. I disagree. I believe the release is still alive and well, but is in a different form than it was 10 years ago. I believe online distribution has saved the release from becoming a dinosaur. We’ll give it a couple of years and see who is right!
Note: Plenty of people DO still use some of the above tactics. I’m not writing this list to offend anyone. If you’re successful … I’m not judging!
Be sure to read the follow up to this post: 10 Newborn PR Tactics!
March 18th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
[...] is the original post: 10 Dead or Dying PR Tactics Share and [...]
March 18th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Here are a couple of suggestions from Twitter:
From @erinserkaian: Clip tallies as a measurement of ROI
From @NatalieBednarz: Ed Cals [editorial calendars] are becoming more obsolete as issues/trends change faster than ever
You can follow me on Twitter here: @stevemullen
March 18th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
1. PR status reports filled with: “attempted to contact reporter, will follow up next week to see if he/she received the release and is interested in writing about you.”
2. Also, the telemarketing approach to media relations (big contact lists, inexperienced callers playing the numbers game).
3. Unsolicited email pitches (a.k.a. “PR spam”).
March 18th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
The press release is dead – in the traditional form. Fact sheets, pitch letters, backgrounders are alive and well.
Social marketing is taking over phone calls. Emails have replaced any type of mail.
Yes, PR is evolving.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
I couldn’t agree more with your conclusions but I think that things are moving on to a whole new level as clients begin to bypass traditional media altogether and effectively self publish. Blogging was the first step but RSS feeds, Podcasts and YouTube are providing platforms to provide creative, compelling messages that remain focussed and commercial. The creativity comes in making them engaging to that brand’s public.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
I agree with most of your choices, but high-quality print newsletters continue to be very popular if you have the right audience.
Any day of the week, I’ll pull myself away from crappy ezines to read a well-written print newsletter that arrives in my mailbox.
Here’s my choice for the one PR tactic I wish would go away but refuses to: Those ubiquitous check-passing, ribbon-cutting, ground-breaking photos.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Jeremy Porter: Good ones, but sadly I’d file those under “we wish they’d go away”. PR people spamming reporters is still alive and well. I’ve heard a number of complaints recently.
Ana: I couldn’t disagree more about news releases. I like disagreement, though, it makes me think about things. I do agree that social marketing and social media are replacing pitch calls, though. Thanks for the comment!
Jeremy Kent: I’ve seen some of this too, and have actually had clients decide to try to save money by just doing it themselves. The problem is that most people don’t know how to do it *right* and get the most out of these strategies. Self-publishing can bring about its own set of problems. Simply throwing together blogs, podcasts, and web videos isn’t enough. If you don’t do it RIGHT, it’s a waste of time. That’s why us PR people who know how to do these things are still valuable.
Joan: Maybe it’s just me. I’m probably not the “right audience” you speak of. I don’t open mail unless it’s a bill or a check, but I’ll sometimes read an email newsletter :)
March 18th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
I was thinking the same thing, Joan. There’s only one newsletter I still get, and every time it arrives I’m like, “Who still sends newsletters?!” And then I proceed to read the ENTIRE thing. And it’s not even that high quality.
Nothing else gets that same kind of attention in my inbox.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I’m surprised that VNRs and AVRs are included on this list, what with the popularity of online video and audio. Maybe they’re not in the same format as they used to be, but it seems to me that these are still highly viable vehicles for getting messages across. I mean, YouTube alone sees a huge number of new videos per day. Institutions are creating their own channels and driving their publics to them. BlogTalkRadio has thousands of new programs and listeners all the time. So, VNRs and ANRs aren’t–or shouldn’t be–dead; they’re just modified.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
This is a great list. The PR profession has to innovate or die. It happened with newspapers and it will happen with our industry too. I would say that old school press release distribution services like businesswire and prnewswire are also dying. I don’t think press releases have died but I think the format has changed. I’ve seen much better results with social media press releases sent out via PRWeb with tons of embedded links. I created my own format based on some best practices out there. Embedding video is the ultimate. In PRWeb, you can include a video for an extra $100. It’s an opportunity to include a talking quote. DM me if you want to see samples. Would also love to hear what others are doing.
Kari Moe Straley
Linked Communciations
@linkedcom
March 18th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Very good points – disagree with a couple but that’s ok.
BurrellesLuce stopped publishing printed media directories in 2004, and I’m frankly surprised that anyone still buys these things – from any source! Now we offer only the online version, which is constantly being updated.
I don’t think that newspapers are a poor strategy, it’s just that it needs to be only a piece of the strategy now.
Good post and food for thought!
March 18th, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Daniel: I was talking more about the VNRs that were produced solely for the purpose of being pitched via phone/email to TV stations, trying to get them to use the content in their newscasts. Basically … TV news packages produced by PR people. The type of ANR I was thinking of was essentially the same thing, except for radio stations.
I know what you’re talking about. I would call them web videos, which are a GREAT strategy if done properly.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
All but the Video and Audio are pretty much dinosaus. VNR and AVR are still being used creatively and effectively.
Right person. Right pitch. Right offering. Still works. Video/Audio still on the rise in my opionion.
Lee –
Make Millions Buying Bad Loans
Click Bookstore to Register
http://www.Billionaire-Mentor.info
March 18th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Media equivalency reports.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Funny, and true, mostly. Desksides still have some life left in them. But, have heard a better approach with bloggers and freelancers are the meetups and tweetups. So the deskside gets social.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
What is an AVR? What does that stand for? I’ve always called them Audio News Releases, or ANRs. I’ve also heard them referred to as Radio News Releases, or RARs.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
I actually don’t think edcals are done. The outlets that are still out there have less writers and need more content. There is lots of opportunity for contributed content and bylines if you follow the edcals.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
RE: Mailed pitch letters status “Doornail”
Editor feedback from mailed pitch letter:
“I thought the jigsaw blade mailer was great; it contained the blades (in the fantastic case, straight from a 70’s spy movie), and the cut block of wood. Plain and simple, look how well the blades work, enough said.”
I often mail pitch letters with product samples and digital files to support with good results.
Personal touch often yields better result than impersonal e-communication.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
“…the one PR tactic I wish would go away but refuses to: Those ubiquitous check-passing, ribbon-cutting, ground-breaking photos.” Joan, you are SOOO right! How boring is that to see in any form? No one but those in attendance care …
I’m just dipping my toe into PR waters to help promote http://www.winhawaiianhome.com (doing our damndest to get national exposure) and had NO idea what a tough job it is. Self-publish is what you do when you can’t afford a real publicist! Great way to shoot yourself in the foot.
I think edcals are still viable though – not every topic is as fast-moving as, say, economic news and financials. There is still a place for planning and looking ahead.
Thanks for an interesting view.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Rob: Ah, but what you’re talking about is sending a product sample. I was talking about actually sending a pitch letter with a copy of a release. I would put the sending of product samples in a different category, since you can’t email a product sample or send it through Twitter ;)
March 18th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I tweeted about Peter Shankman being wrong about the news release and 2 minutes later he DM’d me. He says that he believes the press release “as we know it” will be dead within 36 months.
Great article btw. I love finding people that “get it.”
March 18th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I do agree that Ed Cals are not totally obsolete (yet). However, if you have Internet access, why would you limit yourself and your readers to what can only fit in the print edition?
I worked in tech PR, and saw how Ed Cals became less and less dependable. I can’t tell you how many times I was ready to pitch something great only to be told that the section was canceled and the pub had moved on to the next big thing.
Also the number of online outlets/blogs that have popped up that have no traditional structure to reporting leave the PR person to be imaginative and forward thinking with their pitching. I learned fast that I always had to be one step ahead of the media – in this world there is little room for waiting on what the media tells us will be the news.
March 18th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
USPS mail is more useful today than ever in my opinion, but you must stand out. I recommend using tasteful stationary, legible handwriting and collectors stamps. Obviously this method is not for mass communication, but 5 letters per 240 working days adds up to 1,200 letters to prospects in your database with whom you are following up with something new is extremely valuable and cost effective.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Very good. I imagine that an argument could be made that some of these will actually GAIN in power as a result of everyone abandoning them. That was the case in the mid 90s when e-mail replaced hardcopy delivery. Everyone abandoned delivery — but that actually created a great opportunity to stand out by using FedEx or some kind of creative mailer. At least for a while. I get so few pieces of mail now that I will stop and look at a nicely designed piece. So some things actually gain power BECAUSE they have been replaced and abandoned.
March 18th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
Great list, and I have to laugh about the press release being included on it. A few years ago I wrote an article that ran on MarketingProfs.com, “The Press Release is Dead…Will Someone Please Tell the Clients?” and the howls from the PR community were deafening! (And, go figure, I got a quite a few calls from prospects who wanted our firm to help them with, you got it, their press release driven PR program!)
I agree with those who believe the lowly press release is experiencing a resurgence, but not necessarily primarily as a reporter outreach tool. I’m finding that, driven out via PR Newswire, it plays a huge role in driving traffic to clients’ websites. When we target reporters with a customized pitch that includes the release for background purposes and we hit, the numbers go higher and for longer. Over a two-week period in February for one client, this approach resulted in a 128% increase in Web traffic…including a good number of incoming queries. So, the release still serves a purpose, but it’s just one tool in the arsenal.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
As a journalist, I can appreciate a good news release and hope that one doesn’t die.
By good, I mean one that gives me all the basic facts and a quick summary of why I should care. I do actually skim everything that hits my inbox, but unless I see something of interest in the first few seconds it’ll get deleted, so a good to-the-point release will always get a full read from me.
Joan and Shirley – I’m in total agreement. No one wants to see ribbon-cutting photos or check-holding photos. The people who care are already at the event. In a time when newspapers are shrinking and Web hits all-important, it would be great to not have to explain to someone that I can’t print their ribbon-cutting photo, much less send one of our staff members to the event.
March 18th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Hi — thanks for some great tips. I do disagree, however, that the media calendar is dead, especially for consumer magazines that do regular features annually . . .
March 19th, 2009 at 1:04 am
This is great and I love all the comments! My clients still want the equivalency numbers every month. It’s hard to give them numbers when most of the coverage is online. That’s the only new challenge I’m facing with the direction publicity is going.
March 19th, 2009 at 5:32 am
That list makes me feel old – I remember when I started out, spending days in the postroom sending out media packs!
I also don’t think the ed cal / forward features lists will die out – publications still need to generate ad revenue and that’s what these are for. They’re probably not as formulaic now though.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:09 am
1. Ed cals are still viable are work.
2. We still do traditional industry analyst briefings. And they work.
3. Formal press releases on your press room shows discipline and on-going message.
4. Oh sure, we do all the social media stuff, but the core basics of strategy, message, voice still matter.
March 19th, 2009 at 10:21 am
90% of my business is now done via email. I have clients that I have NEVER spoken to. Dumped my 800# yesterday and will toss the dedicated fax line next week. Only problem for PR folks now is that everyone thinks they can do PR themselves, and makes it hard for journalists and reporters to figure out who is real and whose information is valuable/valid.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:02 am
Here is another that is fizzling away – the glossy corporate magazine. I still like my alumni mag but I see very few of these products out there as they seem to have been felled during the various cutbacks. I assume the costs were high and the ROI was mighty difficult to measure.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Agreed, Michael. I work for several organizations that formerly produced glossy yearly mags, but each one has either scaled down to a brochure or stopped doing it altogether.
March 19th, 2009 at 11:47 am
Good list, Steve. It must have been difficult to stop at 10. I haven’t heard a mention of Media Map in years. Didn’t it get pulled into the Bacon’s/Cision tent some time ago? The idea is sound, the tool has evolved.
March 19th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Jim: Yes … Bacon’s acquired Media Map back in 2003 (according to my Google search). I actually remember that happening. The Bacon’s directory suddenly got a lot deeper.
March 19th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
I’ve read your list with interest and the basic theme is, you have not asked the news desk what they want. As the desk folks do more with less, we have less time to schmooz with PR people. Send the release via e-mail, call the day of the event to see if we have it. Don’t mail things, as in this day and age I can’t stuff that paper into my computer (although there have been days…!!)
Barbara Kimmel needs to note, that we journalists do know who you are and your reputation. That is what we count on when deciding what to cover.
Elysee makes several good points. Too many PR emails lump us all together. As a TV station I dont want your photos of past events. You usually dont know how to size them and those 2 or 3 MB photos jam my inbox too.
March 19th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I’m curious what people think about writing style. Is the “straight” new releases dead?
As a former newspaper journalist, we rarely ran anything verbatim. As traditional media crumbles, shouldn’t we be telling good stories–news features rather than dry releases–on our own Web sites (now work as a Web editor at a university)?
And shouldn’t whatever we send to media be packaged and presented so reporters can easily browse the essentials–story summary, fact box, good quote, related links?
Appreciate any thoughts.
March 19th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Geoff: I may be a dinosaur, but I still believe in there should be a narrative in a news release … at least a short one. I’m not a fan of releases that are purely bullet points.
March 20th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Hello Steve,
I’m sure most of us, with some exceptions to specific tactics, agree with your overall assessment of the changing dynamic of PR. But what about our clients? I still find skepticism and downright suspicion among some clients toward social media, blogging and the power of the Web. Many still want to touch, literally, media coverage in the form of newspapers and don’t yet appreciate the permanence and pervasiveness of the web.
Any ideas on how you’ve convinced your clients to appreciate and embrace the new tools of the web?
March 20th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Robert: That can be a tough one. I know the type of client you’re talking about. Here’s the thing – I’m not suggesting anyone abandon traditional media relations. There are still a lot of people who read print pubs, and there’s still a lot of value in a great newspaper hit. I think the strategy with this type of client is to talk to them about *including* blogging, blogger relations, and other social media in their PR strategy.
There are plenty of case studies that can prove the power of social media. I posted one on this blog last spring about what blogger relations can do for your organization. Check it out HERE.
One wonderful thing you might point out to them is that if you like measurables, you can’t beat blogging. You can find out how many people visited the page *and* where they visited from *and* how they got there! Podcasting and web videos are similar, if the measurement is set up properly. Can’t do that with a newspaper hit. In fact, you can’t actually prove anyone read the article! :)
March 20th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Great list, and I agree with most of it. On the press release discussion — press releases are definitely not dead, but they do need to be written with SEO in mind and must social “media’ized.” They are a perfect and easy way for companies to self-publish — and then get discovered on Google where reporters often go to look for additional information on a topic.
A thought on PRWeb vs BusinesWire, though. We did a side to side comparison of pick up of releases posted on both services. The two releases were from different companies but the news was identical — they had both been named finalists in the same competition. The BusinessWire pick up with FAR superior to PR Web. I was hoping it would be the other way around, but PRWeb just didn’t deliver anywhere near the quality or breadth that BusinessWire did.
March 24th, 2009 at 11:37 am
How about radio media tours? Do you think those are still worth anything? My boss is big into them.
March 24th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Great article. So right on in so many ways especially on how to pitch to media. However, I think that while newspapers may be dying, they are not dead yet. And please let’s not prematurely bury the newspaper journalists. We need them. One hopes they will migrate quickly to more healthy vibrant forms of media with better prognosis for survival, but their reporting, reseaching and writing skills serve and I hope will serve to raise the bar on the quality of reporting online in whatever format prevails.
March 24th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Lauren: I intentionally left off satellite media tours and radio media tours. While I think fewer people are doing them, I think they’re still a good tactic. While the audiences have gone down, people do still watch TV news and listen to the radio.
Be sure to include carefully selected podcast pitching with your radio news pitching. Podcasts can be an outstanding way to spread your message, and in most cases the interview prep for your boss will be exactly the same as for radio.
March 24th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Great article! Shirley Bradbury, I’m not a real publicist but I’ve done exactly as Barbara Krause suggests and receive national, major press ALL THE TIME.
I self-publish what I know in articles on my Website, my blog, and press releases. I’ve done all the right things to show up on the 1st page of organic Google searches so I don’t have to pitch stories. Journalists find me in Google and call.
Google loves me so much I wrote an ebook on Shameless Self-Promotion: DIY PR and also started giving seminars on it. This stuff works!
March 24th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I agree with Susannah about reporting. We still need journalism just not newspapers. Now more than ever we need investigative journalism. Just now those journalists are bloggers and twitterers. I think SMTs are really expensive for what you get. Most people don’t understand that it’s just local market coverage. I usually recommend local market media tours instead depending on the clients goals.
March 24th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Now you should make a top 10 list of things that you should do to counter this list.
Thanks for the great conversation!
March 24th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Actually, Jennifer … I had planned today to write a post just like the one you suggested, but I got busy with client work. I’m going to try again tomorrow :)
March 24th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Excellent list! I wonder if the op-ed will hit the list soon, what with all the newspapers folding and dying. On the one hand, while we have print papers, op-eds seem to be good tools, since papers have less resources to produce tons of copy themselves. On the other hand, when you can self-publish on a blog or website, or when the newspaper becomes a series of blogs, is the op-ed done for?
March 24th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
I could not agree more with your list. The biggest problem I see is convincing clients (e.g. CEOs) that most of these things are worthless. Change is hard!
March 24th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
I just don’t buy into the whole social media craze. I think it’s a fad…the PR industry’s new toy so to speak…much like the “.com” mania that fueled the tech bubble. Everyone was sure that the “.com’s” of the world were the next big thing and that traditional brick and mortar retailers were going to be wiped out. Well it just didn’t happen; “.coms” are obviously here to stay but they are but ONE component of today’s society.
The same goes for Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, etc. Everyone focuses so heavily on social media and seems to forget that while extremely valuable for reaching certain segments of the population (particularly Gen X and Gen Y) they really aren’t all that effective in reaching other groups such as baby boomers and seniors. Try as I might, I just can’t imagine your average senior citizen logging onto Twitter to learn more about Depends or Facebook to get the latest facts on Social Security.
Enjoy the surfing while it lasts, but once the wave of enthusiasm for social media subsides it will be back to business as usual for the PR industry. Granted, I’m not saying that our industry won’t evolve with the times and adapt to new processes and technology. But like the “.com” wave of the late 90s, social media is here to stay, but it is only one component of an overall media outreach process.
March 24th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
With that said, Tom, I hope you’re not still blast faxing and mailing pitch letters to reporters.
March 25th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Re: Tom Womack’s thoughts.
While its no doubt true that today’s seniors are not heavy Facebook users, baby boomers and middle age folks in general are heavily adopting many of these tools and over time the users of SM will become the seniors.
I wonder what Tom’s thoughts are about the serious decline we are seeing in traditional media such as newspapers – half of all classified advertising is gone and the number of newspaper layoffs is growing at an incredible pace. In my community, the newspaper has elimianted 2 days of op/ed coverage and just laid off the editorial page editor – on top of many newsroom cuts.
Sure, seniors may want the “touch and feel” of traditional paper newspapers, but the advertising system that supports it is rapidly dying. See Detroit, Flint, Saginaw et al which have stopped 7 day paper delivery in favor of the web. Yes, these seniors are going to have to go online to find out about Social Security.
In the old days, PR folks could direct much of their attention at reporters, “building relationships with editors” ect., but I simply see those tactics as being 50% less important – not dead, just less important. There are simply fewer reporters/editors out there to influence and less print real estate on op/ed and other sections to seek to get placed in.
March 25th, 2009 at 10:18 am
I agree with you Michael. Well said. I might have posted something along those lines, but didn’t have time to write it last night :)
The thing is, I’ve never suggested PR people abandon traditional media relations altogether. That would be a mistake. The #1 item on this list says “Newspaper-based Media Relations Strategy”. What I meant was a media relations strategy that is build solely on getting newspaper hits. I suppose if you’re selling adult diapers, that might make some sense … and I suppose I should have given that caveat. But, for most businesses, that strategy simply doesn’t make sense. You can’t rely on the traditional media to reach most of a general audience anymore.
March 25th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Interesting article on the “aging of Facebook”.
http://tinyurl.com/cdugjz
It’s largely tongue-in-cheek, but makes some good points.
March 25th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I’m at a reporter at a newspaper with 77,000 daily circulation and growing.
If you want to get my attention, e-mail a great story idea with names of people willing to be interviewed. But first, know the kinds of stories I seem to like.
March 25th, 2009 at 11:33 am
I agree with so much of this, but I have a thought on why number 2) Bacon’s Media Guides is still very useful.
While no one will argue about the power of web-based directories that are thousands of pages long, there are a few important pieces of value in hard copy editions.
- If the internet goes down on either side of the connection, you have lost access. Hard copy works as long as you can see.
- There is a very strong difference in researching in hard copy. There is an intuitive understanding in finding information in a book, both with page number and location on the page.
- You’re also more likely to read through the information on the pages if you don’t find it, instead of searching for key words while analyzing the surrounding context. This allows you to pick up more information that can help you later on.
Technology is wonderful, but if you become dependent on it, something as simple as a lack of access to the internet can cripple an entire day’s work. Books shall never die because they have the ultimate user interface that is intuitive, simple to master and stands by itself.
-Joshua
@joshualogan
March 25th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Joshua: I understand your points, but in my view there are many, many reasons that the web-based version of media directories are better. They’re updated more frequently, they’re available wherever you have a computer (i.e. you have access if you need a number while you’re on the road), and they’re easily searchable. Books absolutely have a place in the world, but I can’t imagine ever going back to the book version of a media directory.
March 25th, 2009 at 11:53 am
Steve,
I fully agree that web-based versions are better. Being updated daily/weekly is a *huge* benefit over bi-annual printing.
Every now and then at work, I’m told to search with the hard copy rather than with the website. It’s able to fulfill certain needs on on specific projects.
Regarding ease of searching: it’s only easy to search for specific words or well-tagged documents. Hard copy has already mastered this.
It’s not as efficient, but if the internet goes out or your computer dies, it will still work.
March 25th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I’ve been in this business for a long time … and the bottom line is that you use whatever works in order to produce the end game — you never know what will turn a reporter’s head — technology has just made it all a lot easier to do … nothing is ever dead if it gets the job done for the client! (except maybe printed media directories – thankfully!)
March 25th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
I hereby name Joanna the Commenter of the Day, for managing to work the name of my PR firm into her comment. Kudos!
:)
May 7th, 2009 at 4:47 am
[...] die Twitter-Gemeinde, sollte ein offenkundig inkompatibles Unternehmen so unklug sein, sich mit alten Methoden der 1:n-Kommunikation an die Pioniere der n:n-Kommunikation ranwanzen zu [...]